All Chapters of When Love Turns to Ash: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1 My Dead Brother Came Back

I looked into Waylon's bloodshot eyes and kept my voice calm. "Is there something you don't like about the agreement? I can walk away with nothing if that's what it takes to give Jenna what she wants."He shoved me back, his voice tinged with anger. "Where was all this generosity when you plastered those pictures all over the internet? Where was it when you threatened to kill yourself and take everyone down with you?"His eyes burned into mine. "Now, you want to play the selfless wife?"My chest tightened, but I forced myself to stay calm. "You're right. I was insane back then, but I'm not anymore. I'm letting you go. Isn't that what you wanted?"Waylon fell silent. His chest rose and fell heavily, as though he were a trapped animal with nowhere left to turn.Jenna began tearing up. "I'm sorry, Waylon. I never should've made that wish. Please don't fight because of me."Before either of us could respond, she slapped herself across the face twice.Waylon immediately caught her

Chapter 2 The Debt Was Never Real

Jenna's face lit up the second she saw him. "Reuben! What are you doing here?"My brother, Reuben Wall, flicked her lightly on the forehead. "I promised I'd be here for your twenty-fifth birthday. You really thought I'd miss it?"Waylon clapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks, Reuben. You've had a rough three years."Then, he let out a bitter laugh. "If you hadn't faked your death back then, Sydney never would've left Jenna alone."Reuben sighed. "I wouldn't have done it if Sydney hadn't pushed things so far."His expression dimmed. "Every year, I see her spending hours at my grave. I know what all of this has done to her."He paused, then added, "Give it another two years. Once she's truly accepted Jenna being around, I'll tell her the truth. By then, perhaps she can finally let go of the past."A deafening buzz filled my head as cold seeped into my bones.For three years, the recording Reuben had left behind had haunted me.Each year on the anniversary of his death, I spent hou

Chapter 3 Even Her Dog Took My Daughter's Place

As if everyone was afraid I might suddenly lose control, Jenna's birthday dinner ended early.On the way out, Jenna slipped her arm through my mom's. "Carol, I've been craving that rice pudding you make. Can we stop by your place for a little while?"My mom instinctively glanced at me. After a brief hesitation, she nodded. "Sure. Everyone can come over."I stood there, a tight feeling in my throat. For three years, I begged outside that door until my knees hurt. I had cried, apologized, and practically humiliated myself just to get my parents to let me inside.Jenna only had to ask once.We drove back to the old apartment.The second the door opened, I noticed a pair of pink bunny slippers sitting neatly by the entryway. They were obviously Jenna's size.She tossed her coat onto the bench and changed her shoes without a second thought, moving around as comfortably as if she lived there.Meanwhile, as their biological daughter, I hesitated by the door, uncertain if I was even

Chapter 4 Mommy's Taking You Away

I called Jenna immediately.The second she answered, I asked, "Where are Sadie's ashes?"There was a smile in her voice when she replied, and it was anything but kind. "If you want them, come to the hospital. Take too long, and your precious little girl might end up getting flushed down the toilet."I hung up and rushed straight to the hospital.The moment I pushed open the door to Jenna's room, every head turned toward me. No one looked surprised to see me. They only stared at me with disgust and hostility, as though I were some criminal who had finally shown up to face judgment.Jenna lay propped against the pillows, her face pale and her eyes swollen from crying. She looked completely devastated.Waylon was the first to stand. He strode toward me and threw his phone at my feet, where it hit the floor with a sharp crack.Jenna's old private photos were on the screen—the same ones I had leaked three years ago.Waylon looked at me with pure disgust. "Sydney, you really haven'

Chapter 5 Who Are You?

Outside the trauma unit, Waylon leaned against the cold wall, unable to get the image out of his head.Sydney had stood at the window with that final smile on her face before disappearing over the edge.It hadn't been a smile of fear. It was a relief.Somehow, that hurt even more. For the first time, he wondered if he had pushed her too far.…A few feet away, Carol paced the hallway. All the resentment she had carried toward her daughter seemed to have vanished, replaced by raw panic. Whatever Sydney had done, she was still her daughter—the child she had carried for nine months.When Sydney went out that window, her mom's knees had nearly given out beneath her.Everyone was sick with worry, except Jenna.Hours had passed, and she was beginning to grow impatient. Her stomach ached with hunger, so she tugged on Reuben's sleeve. "I'm starving. Can you get me something to eat?"Carol whipped around. "Jenna, Sydney is in there fighting for her life. How can you possibly be thinkin

Chapter 6 Do You Remember Sadie?

Waylon froze. The joy that had flooded his face only seconds ago vanished, and he gulped nervously."Sydney, don't scare me like that," he murmured, his voice unsteady. "It's me, Waylon."As he stepped closer, my whole body tensed, and a scream escaped me before I could stop it.The door flew open, and my parents and Reuben rushed into the room. All three of them hurried toward my bed at once."Sydney! You're awake!""Hey, it's okay. It's me, Reuben. I'm your brother."I looked at the unfamiliar faces approaching me, feeling panic mounting so quickly that I could hardly breathe. I didn't recognize any of them, and I was confused about why they were surrounding me.I just wanted them to stay away.My hand scrambled across the bedside table until I grasped a small fruit knife. I quickly grabbed it and held the trembling blade point toward them. "Don't come any closer!"Everyone stopped immediately.Waylon visibly panicked. He quickly raised both hands to show he meant no harm,

Chapter 7 The Perfect Husband

The name struck something deep inside me.For a split second, my vision flashed white, and something stirred at the edge of my memory—blurred images, broken voices, and a wave of pain so intense that I could barely breathe.Before I could make sense of any of it, everything disappeared.I pressed a hand to my temple as the pain in my head intensified.The woman was still smiling, but her face blurred as the world tilted around me. My knees gave way, and everything went black.…When I opened my eyes again, I was staring at the familiar ceiling of my hospital room.Waylon sat beside the bed.As soon as he saw I was awake, he leaned in close with concern. "You're awake. Does your head still hurt? Are you feeling sick anywhere?"I shook my head. "No."Relief washed over his face."Don't go to the garden alone anymore," he told me as he pulled the blanket higher over me. "If you want to walk, I'll go with you. You still can't remember much, and it would be too easy for someone t

Chapter 8 I'm Pregnant Too

That weekend, Waylon took me back to my parents' place.By the time we arrived, dinner was already on the table, and nearly every dish was something I apparently used to love. My mom kept adding food to my plate while watching me carefully, as though one wrong word might unlock a memory she desperately wanted to keep buried.We were halfway through dinner when a sharp knock sounded at the door.As soon as the door opened, the whole room went quiet.Jenna stood in the hallway, her pregnancy now impossible to hide beneath her fitted dress. Her makeup was flawless, almost too glamorous for a casual visit, but it did little to conceal the resentment in her eyes.My mom immediately stood and moved a little closer. "Jenna? What are you doing here? You should've called first."Jenna ignored her and looked straight at me.I tilted my head toward Waylon. "Who is she?"His hand paused over his plate. After a moment, he replied, "Just a friend.""I see."I returned to my dinner as thoug

Chapter 9 There Was Never a Baby

After Jenna lost the baby, Waylon became even more attentive to me.I played my part perfectly. I leaned on him, trusted him, and never mentioned the past. Once he had completely let his guard down, I carefully brought up the idea of working at Ratliff Group."I spend all day at home with nothing to do but overthink." I rubbed my fingers lightly over my stomach and gave him a hesitant smile. "If I could go to the office with you, I think I'd feel better. Maybe I could learn a little about the family business too."I made myself look nervous, as though I were worried about becoming a burden.Waylon agreed without hesitation.Within days, I had a desk inside his executive office and was working as his personal assistant. That gave me access to company accounts, contracts, internal financial records, and private agreements—far more than he ever should have trusted me with.Waylon believed the woman he had brought home from the hospital was harmless, forgetful, and completely depen

Chapter 10 Now It's Your Turn

Ratliff Group collapsed on a rainy night.Waylon came home soaked through, his suit clinging to his body and exhaustion etched across his face. The moment he saw me, he stopped in the doorway."Sydney." His voice was rough. "The liquidation team is coming in tomorrow. The company's gone."I watched him quietly. "I know."He approached and drew me into his embrace, resting his chin on top of my head. He stayed like that for a moment, eyes closed, holding me as if I were the last thing he had left.He murmured, "At least I still have you and the baby. We can leave, go somewhere else, and start over. I can rebuild everything. I can start from nothing again. I can—""Waylon," I cut in quietly.He stopped and looked at me.I reached for the hem of my sweater and slowly lifted it, revealing a completely flat stomach with no trace of the pregnancy he believed was there."There is no baby," I said calmly. "There never was."Waylon stared at me, his expression slowly unraveling as the

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